PD, The Arizonan Dragon
by Tabbicus
Summary: This is a story I am doing based on my ADJL fan character, PD. This is my first fanfic, so please dont be too harsh!
1. Different

PD had always been different. He kept to his studies and achieved straight a's. He had no interest in athletics or clubs. As a matter of fact, he didnt really have much of a social life. He preferred to eat in classrooms with teachers. Even when people invited him to sit at a table, he would make excuses. Everybody thought PD was a very strange person.

But none of them knew just how different he was. You see, PD had learned on his 13th birthday that he was a dragon. He could transform into one at any time. Even among dragons, he was considered different. He was a polydactyl, meaning that he had seven claws on each paw rather than five. He was doomed to be different forever...

As if this wasn't enough of a shock, he also learned that he was responsible for protecting the magical underworld of Arizona.

For the most part, PD kept his dragon identity a secret. He only thought about it when there was work to be done in the magical community. However, PD was about to be taken on the ride of his life, in both human and dragon form!


	2. A Venomous Threat

It had been a normal day at school. PD was walking home as usual. Every afternoon, PD was to report to his older brother, who was his dragon master. Although his brother, David, had no magical powers of his own, he knew a great deal about the magical community. He knew so much, in fact, that he was granted an honorary position as PD's master.

As PD opened the front door, he saw David waiting for him in the hall.

"Hey, Dave. What's up?"

David responded with a frown. "I'm afraid I have some bad news," he said.

PD's eyes widened. Anytime David said these words, it meant a magical disaster was occurring in Arizona. It also meant the full concentration of PD's efforts. Last time there was bad news, Graverobber was looting the Tombstone Chapter of the Rest of Interskeletal Parts Association (RIP). He was caught in the end, but PD was forced to miss a whole week of school.

"What is it this time?"

"The Gila Monsters of the Salt River are in great peril. They have been receiving anonymous threats. They have requested your protection and help in the matter."

PD sighed. "What kind of threats?"

"They received a message via RattleGraph (Morse code submitted through the tail of a rattlesnake) a few days ago. The message warned the Gila Monsters to either give up 100 pints of their deadly venom or be mass executed. I take it you can guess who sent the message."

Indeed he could. This type of threat could only come from one source, the Huntsclan. Dragon guardians around the world had problems with them. The Huntsclan was an international organization, made up of thousands of members. Their main purpose was to slay magical creatures. Though PD himself never had an encounter with them, he heard stories from other dragons of their wicked ways.

PD nodded in acknowledgement. Without further ado, he transformed into a dragon, and flew out the door towards his destination, the dry bed of the Salt River.


	3. Flight Over Phoenix

The sun was setting over Phoenix as PD flew south over the city. As a dragon, he was very reminiscent of the Arizona state flag. His body was a deep, royal blue. His underbelly was composed of alternating red and gold stripes. His mane was the same gold as on his underbelly. His claws, extra ones included, were the same blood red as the stripes on his stomach.

While in flight, many thought raced through PD's mind. Why did he have to be a dragon? Why not some other kid in Arizona?

The dragon guardians of other states were proud of what they were. Being a dragon is a very special ability. But once again, PD was different. He alone was responsible for protecting all of Arizona. Other state guardians had a real dragon master, one who could become a dragon and help fight. PD had David, and while he loved his brother, he longed for a dragon companion. David, because he was only an honorary member of the magical community, was not allowed to participate in magical affairs.

As PD's mind raced through these questions, it was beginning to get dark over the city. He set his pondering aside for another time. He knew his full attention would be needed for this case. With that in mind, he began his descent and gracefully landed in the dry bed of the Salt River.


	4. Suspectum

By the time PD had landed in the dry bed of the Salt River, the sun had already completely set. An odd silence had fallen over the region. PD, still in dragon form, began to search for his contact. He soon found it eating crickets in a nearby bush.

PD cleared his throat. The bush stopped munching.

"Who isssssss it?"

"Uh, this is the Arizonan Dragon. I'm looking for…"

"You are looking for me."

Just then, the mysterious voice revealed itself. From under the bush crawled a huge, black and pink Gila Monster. PD knew that these creatures could grow to very large sizes, but this one was particularly fat."

"Pleasssssse, call me Sussspectum. It isss a great honor to meet you, Arizonan Dragon."

"Uh, just call me PD." Even though he was a great deal larger than Suspectum, PD knew to be weary around Gila Monsters. "What's the problem?"

"Oh, it isss dreadful. Today wassss the day we were to have the venom ready."

PD's jaw dropped. "Oh no! What happened?"

"They came, wearing green and black uniformsss. They demanded to know where the venom wassss. When we said that we were not giving it up, they took our leader."

PD heaved a great sigh. "Oh, great. We may never find them!"

"Don't be so sure, my dragon friend. I, the great Sussspectum, am an expert spy. I followed them to their desssstination. I know exactly where they are."

Finally, PD had something to be somewhat happy about. "Good job, Suspectum! We'll head out first thing in the…"

The Gila Monster interrupted. "There issss no time for ressst. By the looksss of what I saw, they are planning to move our leader soon. We mussst go tonight."

This was not what PD wanted to hear. He was in desperate need of sleep. However, seeing who he was dealing with, PD chose not to argue.

"That's a good idea. Er, where is it exactly where we're going?"

Suspectum raised one pudgy paw and pointed it towards the nearest mountain. "There."

And with that, the Dragon and the Gila Monster set off towards the foot of the great Tovrea Mountain.


	5. The Secrets of Tovrea Castle

As PD walked with Suspectum through the barren nighttime desert, he recalled his previous knowledge about their destination. Tovrea Mountain, or rather the ornate Tovrea Castle that adorned its peak, was one of the most mysterious sites in Arizona. It's history involved not only the human world, but the magical community as well.

The Castle's long and winding history began in 1928 with a wealthy Italian immigrant named Alessio Carraro. He had just sold his lucrative steel company in San Francisco and was searching for a plot of land to build on in Phoenix. He found that site just outside of Phoenix city limits.

Work on the Carraro estate began almost immediately. Alessio hired a crew of 20 workers to build his dream home. The house itself was built as a tribute to Italy, strongly resembling a layered birthday cake. The landscaper hired, named Moktachev, transformed the barren landscape surrounding the castle into a botanical preserve featuring saguaro cacti.

It seemed that Carraro had finally realized the American dream. His hopes, however, were soon to be crushed. On a quiet evening in 1930, after having moved his family into the Castle, Alessio had a visitor. He opened the door to find Moktachev, the gardener, staring at him with red eyes.

As it turned out, Moktachev was a magical spy for the Huntsclan. He was a Nix, as a matter of fact. Details of what happened that night are somewhat sketchy. A few claim that Moktachev had murdered Alessio right there in cold blood. The majority, however, say he used his Nix powers and stole the souls of the Carraro family. The bodies were never found and Moktachev was never even questioned.

As all members of the Carraro family were either dead or living in Italy, property rights were given to Moktachev. In 1931, he turned the house over to Edward and Della Tovrea. They kept Moktachev on as the gardener. Edward Tovrea was the collector of Internal Revenue in Arizona and had no magical connections. Della Tovrea, however, was one of the most notorious members of the Huntsclan. According to many, she was the first female member.

1932 saw even more strange happenings at what was now called Tovrea Castle. Della had received orders from the Huntsclan to clear out the house. Being loyal, she would not let them down. So, on a quiet summer night, she poisoned her husband. Moktachev, however, was not treated so nicely. Many say that Della stabbed him squarely in the heart. Once again, no bodies were ever recovered.

Through the next several months, the Castle began to fall into a state of dilapidation. Della could be seen boarding up all of the windows. The last time anyone ever saw Della Tovrea alive was the night she was spotted playing with the tail of a rattlesnake.

In 1969, Della Tovrea was found dead on the grounds of the Castle. An autopsy was conducted, but cause of death was never determine. Since then, the house sat unoccupied falling further into disrepair.

As PD and Suspectum approached the grounds, their speculations of what they would find were proven. Every cactus in the garden was dead. The windows were still boarded up and the paintjob was in dire need of a touchup. Curiously, however, they found the front door ajar, as if beckoning them to enter.


	6. Signs of Life

PD gulped as he and Suspectum stood there, looking into the dark Castle. Why was that door open? Was it a trap? PD looked down to Suspectum, hoping he would want to turn back. Suspectum returned the glance with a set of cold eyes. Gila Monsters were notoriously loyal to each other.

"Well, then. Shall we?" PD spoke these words with an air of nervousness. Suspectum answered only with a nod, beckoning PD to enter first.

Once again, PD gulped as he stepped into the foyer of the house. It was clear that the inside of the house was in even worse shape than the outside.

PD knew the basic layout of the Castle. There were three floors in addition to the cupola on top. He did not, however, know the room layout. This would make their job that much more difficult.

"Do you, um, think it would be a good idea to split up?" PD asked nervously.

"And rissssk lossssing another persssson? I think not," Suspectum hissed. This was the answer PD was hoping for.

There were five doors to choose from, two of which were ajar. They both agreed to search the closed doors first. The room connected to the door farthest on the left turned out to be the dining room. A grand chandelier draped down over the large table, which had a fince coat of dust. Apparently, the last person to use this table was using it as a makeshift desk. At one head of the table, papers were spread out in a disorganized fashion. A pen had been left sitting in an ink well, long since dried up. A wine glass was also on the table, just as dusty as everything else in the room. PD and Suspectum felt there was not much to observe here.

The room adjacent to the dining room was found to be the kitchen. Also searched, nothing was found. It was back in the foyer where the two explorers found, or rather heard, something significant. Immediately after opening the third closed door, which turned out to be a stairwell to the upper levels, they heard footsteps from the floor above. Though it was only for a second, PD was left positively shaken. Even Suspectum, who had done well to hide his emotions thus far, was shivering.

"Perhapssss we should ssssearch the lasssst two roomsss ssssseperately," Suspectum hissed. "The sssssooner we're out of here, the better."

Though PD was dreading the prospect of moving further alone, he had to agree with the Gila Monster's logic. "Alright."

Suspectum raised one pudgy paw and pushed open the door farthest to the right. That left PD to explore the room directly across from the front door. He gave the door a push and it swung open.

He had found the Castle's study. This room contrasted sharply to the other rooms of the house. There was no thick layer of dust. All of the oak furniture was polished to a shine. The large desk in the center of the room had several artifacts laying upon it. An enormous leather chair was behind it. Above the work area, a life-size portrait hung. It was of a man that PD did not recognize. He was a shorter man with darker skin. PD turned to explore the rest of the room. On one side, a small bookcase stood, having several manuscripts upon its shelves. The other side of the room gave way to an ornate fireplace. There was a woodpile nearby, suggesting that someone had been using it.

After a few good minutes of admiring the beauty of the fireplace and the sofas that surrounded it, PD turned to go find Suspectum. Upon looking again at the oak desk, however, he discovered he was not alone in the room.


	7. Shades of Death

PD's jaw dropped. He immediately recognized the figure seated at the desk in front of him. It was the same man from the large portrait hanging just behind the desk. There was only one difference: the version sitting at the desk was transparent.

"Have you come to ruin my good name, as well?" Even as the man talked, he did not look up from the items on the desk, which he was examining closely. PD was very confused.

"Uh… who are you?" Even as he asked, PD was not sure he wanted to know.

"Hmph, as if you don't know. I know your kind. You and the rest of those magical freaks who stole my Castle…"

"I don't think you understand," PD said nervously. "My name's PD. I've come to investigate a kidnapping…"

The man finally looked up. "So, there are good magical beings, as well? Oh my, many apologies, Senore. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alessio Cararro."

PD finally recognized him. This was, indeed, the original owner of the Castle.

"Mr. Cararro," PD was in shock. "This is a great honor. I've… I've heard so much about you…"

"I wish I could say the same. Nonetheless, please, call me Alessio. You have to forgive my shock, I am still getting used to the fact that magical creatures exist. I have so many questions for you. Please, sit down." He pointed to the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

"Uh, thank you." PD sat down. He really did not want to answer questions about the magical world right now. "Mr. Cararro, uh, Alessio, the truth is, my investigation of the kidnapping has led me here. We could be in grave peril…"

"Aha, but that is where you are wrong, my friend." Alessio shook one finger knowingly. "You see, for generations, the Cararro family have been indulged in the field of mythobiology. For many generations, notes and observations have been passed down, waiting to be built upon. Frankly, I was the only one in centuries to not pursue it as a study. I regret to say that not one of them had ever documented physical proof. Until me, that is."

The ghostly figure stood up and strode over to the bookshelf. PD was becoming impatient.

"Look, Alessio, there is someone, er, something that needs my help. I really must be…"

"Aha!" He interrupted. "I may be able to help you with your task! You see, after my soul was taken by that Nix, those dark soldiers destroyed my body. Well, after they brutally slaughtered the Nix, my soul was released into the Castle. I can roam around as I please, staying invisible. You see, a few days ago, I saw two of those big brutes bringing a large bag into the conservatory of the house. I knew something was wrong. Take a look at this." He handed PD a large green book.

"_A Study of Mythobiological Creatures_," PD read aloud. "Written by Vincenzo Cararro."

"My great-grandfather," Alessio commented. "While this information may be dated, it contains some useful observations. Enough, at least, for me to identify the creature in the conservatory. Please, read page 78."

PD opened the book. "Gila Monsters. Native to the Arizonan deserts. Venom not deadly by itself. However, when mixed with aloe vera, it is lethal."

"You see?" Alessio asked. "Aloe Vera is what they are growing in that conservatory! With that much Aloe in addition to a whole colony of Gila Monsters, the results could be catastrophic!"

PD had suddenly gained a great deal of respect for Alessio Cararro. He was quite impressed on how this man, who had no magical blood, could figure this out.

"Tell me, Alessio," PD said. "Can you take me to the conservatory? You may be a very valuable resource to my investigations."

"I would be honored, Senore! Please, follow me!"

With that, they exchanged a smile, and headed out into the hall.


	8. Conservatory Catastrophe

Alessio led PD into main hall of the house. At this point, PD's head was quickly filling with many questions. Who is behind this plot? How is Alessio still able to communicate? Where did Suspectum wander off?

This last question was answered soon after entering the conservatory. Upon entering this magnificent room, PD could only gasp in awe. The entire back wall of the room was an ornate heavy-glass window. The conservatory seemed to be the only room not cut off from the real world. Rows of plants, mainly aloe vera, blossomed beautifully under the gentle glow of the moon.

In the center of the room was what had to be the strangest site PD had ever seen. A weird-looking device stood there. Inside of it, a Gila Monster was suspended in a green liquid. Finally, on the floor in front of the device, Suspectum knelt on his pudgy paws in a bowing position.

"Suspectum, what are you doing?"

"Ssssilence," the Gila Monster replied. "Pay ressspect to my leader."

"Your leader? You mean we found him?" PD asked excitedly.

Suspectum only nodded. Meanwhile, Alessio had been playing with some buttons on the device's control panel. He claimed he was spying when they set it up. He managed to drain the fluids and open the contraption. Immediately, the Gila Monster woke up.

"Oh! Thank you very much," this Gila Monster replied. " I am very grateful."

Suspectum still remained in a loyal position. PD was a little confused.

"So," he asked, "who are you?"

"My name is Cinctum. Unfortunately, we have little time for pleasantries."

It was clear Cinctum spoke without as much hissing as his fellow Gila Monster.

"What do you mean?" PD asked, a bit puzzled.

"This whole thing was a trap! You were supposed to find me! We must leave!"

PD and Alessio looked at each other, bewildered. Suspectum remained bowing.

"He's quite right, you know," came an unfamiliar voice from behind them. "This is a trap. And, it appears to have worked."

Before they could look to find the speaker, a cage dropped over the two Gila Monsters. Simultaneously, a sphinx-hair net dropped onto PD, instantly transforming him back to human. When they were finally able to look, all four victims were horrified at who they found.


	9. A Ghostly Rescue

Their captor stood laughing in the doorway. They immediately recognized her as the very much alive Della Tovrea.

"Foolish creatures," she stated, "did you really think you could stop me?"

Before any of them could answer, she replied.

"It matters not. I have you all captured now."

"Not quite." Everyone looked around to see who was talking. The voice eminated from behind Della. There, the transparent form of Alessio stood, now grasping rope.

She squirmed to get out, but to no avail. Alessio had her firmly tied up. He then raised the sphynx hair net from PD and released the Gila Monsters.

PD promptly summoned an armored truck to cart Della away.

"Stupid dragon!" she yelled. "I will have my revenge!"

Suspectum approached PD next.

"My leader wasss anxiousss to return to the community," he hissed. "He asssked me to sssay thankssss for him. We really appreciate your effortsss."

A warm smile creeped onto PD's face. "See you around, Suspectum." He waved goodbye to the pudgy reptile.

Alessio now stood beside PD. "I want to a-thank you for clearing my house. I shall now be able to rest in peace.

"I need to thank you," PD said, "for saving my life. I will never forget you."

With that, they shook hands, before Alessio complete disappeared.

The sunrise was already starting to creep over the mountains. PD yawned, before taking flight, leaving behind what had just happened at the mysterious Tovrea Castle.


End file.
